Modern power cables come in a variety of sizes, materials, and types, each cable being particularly adapted to its end use. Cables are constructed from three major design components: conductors, insulations, and protective layers. The construction details of individual cables vary according to their intended application. A variety of connections are available for power cables, such as male connections (plugs), female connections (sockets), twist-on connections, and alligator clips.
Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been proposed to replace metal-based conductors in certain applications due to their high conductivity, strength, and light weight. Carbon nanotubes are known to display a range of electric properties. For example, single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) can be metallic conductors, semi-metallic conductors, semiconductors, or insulators depending on their chirality. Carbon nanotube/polymer composites offer significant mechanical strength, as well as electrical conductivity when conducting carbon nanotubes are blended in the polymer. Orientation of the carbon nanotubes in the polymer composite can influence both the mechanical and electrical properties of the composite material. Despite the potential benefits offered by carbon nanotubes, commercial success in electrical and mechanical applications utilizing these species has not yet been realized.
In view of the foregoing, electrical connectors and devices based on carbon nanotubes represent a significant unmet commercial need. Further, the electrical connectors and devices should be easily constructed and be simply integrated into existing electrical applications. For example, lightweight, highly-conducting electrical cables based on carbon nanotubes dispersed in a polymer and formed into a cable having conventional cable connections would be of particular commercial interest.